Washington to Send THAAD to Guam as N. Korea Approves Nuclear Strike on the U.S
By Mourad Anouar
Morocco News Tribune
Oklahoma, U.S.A| The United States said Wednesday it is ready to deploy an advanced missile defense system to the Pacific in the coming weeks, as a precautionary move to protect against North Korea’s ballistic missile threat.
“This deployment will strengthen defense capabilities for American citizens in the U.S. Territory of Guam and U.S. forces stationed there,” the Pentagon said in a press release.
According to a Pentagon spokeswoman, the advanced missile defense system will be based in the U.S. territory of Guam, roughly 3,000 kilometers southeast of the Korean peninsula. It is not clear when it will be operational.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was reported to have said in answer to a student’s question :“It only takes being wrong once, and I don’t want to be the secretary of defense that was wrong once. We will continue to take these threats seriously. I hope the North will ratchet this very dangerous rhetoric down,”
“But they have to be a responsible member of the world community,” he added. “You don’t achieve that responsibility and peace and prosperity by making nuclear threats and taking very provocative actions.”
The Pentagon announcement came as the North Korean army announced Thursday it had given final approval to launch “merciless” military strikes on America.
In a statement published by the official KCNA news agency, the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) said it was formally informing Washington that reckless US threats would be “smashed by… cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means”.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday called recent North Korean actions “dangerous” and “reckless”.
On the other hand, US Secretary of Defense met Wednesday with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.
“Secretary Hagel reaffirmed to Minister Yun that the United States’ enduring defense and extended deterrence commitments to South Korea will not change and that it is our duty to remain vigilant during this time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula,” Pentagon press secretary George Little said.
North Korea’s escalating and repeated threats to attack the united states came following the tough United Nations sanctions that was passed in response to its third nuclear test in February and its latest satellite launch.
Many military experts believe North Korea is not technologically capable to mount an operational nuclear warhead on a missile at this time.